


There was a Crooked house

by Elyssian



Category: The Crooked Man (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-03
Updated: 2015-01-03
Packaged: 2018-03-05 03:53:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3104585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elyssian/pseuds/Elyssian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post Series fic, please note that the events of Sandman are not mentioned. </p>
<p>Five days later, Paul feels worried about David's sudden move to a mysteriously inherited house far out of the city. Five months later, Paul is worried about the conversations his friend has behind the locked doors of his empty room. Five years later, Paul gives up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	There was a Crooked house

Minute 05 [Duke] 

_Peace… was here at last…_

* * *

 

 

Hour 05 [Mansion] 

“Under the desk, right?” “Well great! Which desk?!”

“You're loud D.”

“Yeah Mister D you're too loud!”

“And I suppose you two know where it is?”

“Boys… it's the rights to the property so it should be in Duke's room.”

“I knew that!”

“No you don't Mister D. Miss Si-”

“Shut up Fluff ball.”

“Hey!” “Where's David anyway?”

“He getting Duke down.”

* * *

 

 

Day 05 [Paul] 

“So you got a mansion… out in the middle of nowhere…”

“The skepticism is dripping of your words Paul.”

He wanted to lash back out, mention casually that a few days a ago he had a gun to his head so he had the damned right be worried. But he smiled and joked back.

“So why are you going to the pharmacy?”

“To stock up, obviously. Nearest hospital is pretty far so it'd be good if I could patch up most injuries at home.”

“Like what injuries?”

“Small cuts… maybe a wild animal attack…”

“Wild animal attack?!”

“It was a joke! There's a stone wall around the place.”

“You're serious?”

“Yep. Half a kilometre radius of the mansion, and a head taller than me.”

Paul doesn't notice him discreetly stuff the stitch threads into his shopping bag.

“That's some security right there.”

_More like isolation…_

* * *

 

Week 05 [David] 

“Duke, seriously, stay still.”

“You stay still while having your neck stitched up.”

“If you don't stay still it's going to take another week to finish.”

“The only reason this takes so long is that you insist on enforcing your OCD.”

“Just because I don't want a messy line of threads on your neck doesn't mean I have OCD Duke.”

* * *

 

[Month 05] Marion

_“So how've you been David? The house looks as good as new now.”_

_“I've been doing alright… I've even got a few tenants here…”_

_“Oh really? By the way, Paul and I will be stopping by soon to, um, discuss something.”_

_“Okay then.”_

* * *

 

 

[Month 05] Paul 

Paul looked at the door nervously.

“You sure he said he let some people move in with him Marion?”

His wife nodded.

“He said he had a few tenants.”

The two didn't speak about their worries. _I hope it's not a bunch of weirdos!_

Paul pressed the doorbell. He heard it echo through the house, and at the last ring of a bell the door clicked open. But it's wasn't David greeting them. It was a _woman._

“Oh hello! You must be David's friends, Paul and Marion? Come in!”

The woman ushered them in.

“I'm Sissy, one of the tenants.”

She held out a hand and smiled. Marion took it, and Paul thought in relief, _it's not a weirdo!_ Behind her, a kid was rushing down the hallway, chased by a man.

“Fluffy get back here!”

Paul watched the two draw near. Marion exclaimed in delight when she saw the boy.

“Oh what a cute boy!”

“Thanks miss!”

Marion patted his head.“Is he yours?”

Marion addressed Sissy, and Sissy blushed. The man behind Sissy opened his mouth.

“Yes! He's mine and Sissy's; but he's adopted.”

Paul watched Sissy blink in confusion for several seconds before adding to the conversation- a little too forcefully he noticed.

“Oh yes, this is D and the boy is Fluffy-”

“Paul! Marion! You're here!”

They had moved to the living room now, and a smiling David descended from the stairs with another smiling man. Paul and Marion greeted him, smiling and announcing Marion's pregnancy and Paul's desire for David to be the god father.

Throughout the exchange, Paul noticed that David's new tenants seemed to lack a certain… solidity about them.

“That's brilliant! Oh and have you met Duke?”

Duke smiled at Paul and he tried not to pay too much attention to the odd angle of his neck.

* * *

 

 

[Year 5] Paul 

David was out, and Paul knew that before he came here anyway.

David wasn't the person Paul was looking for. The door, the whole general house, was still eerie to Paul, even after five years. This time, Duke opened the door.Great.

Duke looked startled upon seeing Paul, but he smoothed his face over.

“David's not here-”

“I'm not here to talk to him.”

Paul took a deep breath.

“I'm here to talk to you.” Well here goes nothing. “Look, I've been David's friend along time and I've noticed that since you and all the rest came into his life, he's never been happier. You guys handed him a shovel to dig himself out of depression with. I happy for him, and I'm glad but a friend I've gotta say this;”

Paul looked Duke square in the eyes.

“Don't hurt him. David trusts you, all of you, and it's your responsibility to be there at the very least. Don't go off catching the next train to the afterlife when your bored with him. Stay with him.”

Paul was feeling pretty self-congratulatory for leaving a ghost speechless- Duke was staring at him with his mouth open.

“You don't need to worry about that. We'll be here, always.”

Paul sighed in relief and held out his hand. Behind Duke he could see D, Sissy and Fluffy looking at him, smiling. Duke took his hand and shook it. Now to deliver one last thing…

“By the way Duke, don't worry. I'm pretty sure by now David's pretty damn smitten with you.”

If there was anything Paul liked better than having stunned a ghost, it's to get a ghost blushing and the object of three other ghost's laughter.


End file.
